The bagpipes are playing a solemn tune today, but we can not live in sadness. Mailk Zaire is out for the year after suffering a broken ankle on Saturday against the Virginia Cavaliers. But, in what will be yet another chapter in Notre Dame Football history, the backup quarterback DeShone Kizer stepped up to the challenge and delivered a win.

I think we sometimes forget that these are grown men that take the field each Saturday. We call them “college kids” and speak of their youth as an eternal truth. And, as the older I get, I can’t help but notice the eyes of these young men. They have that look in their eyes that you only have in your late teens and early twenties. It’s a mixture of hope, excitement, fear, and courage. It’s a sign that at the given moment, they can either crumble- or rise to the task at hand and deliver more than a miracle- a statement of victory.

DeShone Kizer and the rest of the Notre Dame offense were given that moment and they delivered. What’s important now, is that they keep believing that these moments are theirs and no matter the obstacle, they will achieve victory, That they can achieve greatness.

These are men made of steel despite the gold coating given to them. They can withstand the hard days ahead if they stay focused, stay hungry, stay naive, stay excited, stay fearful, and if they stay courageous. Courage in its many forms is simply doing what is unknown. While Brian Kelly has been in this situation before, most of these men have not. They must move forward and step into the unknown, and then they have a chance to not just be champions- but legends.